


Loose Lips Tell Tales

by Talinor



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Drunken Confessions, Falling In Love, Fluff, M/M, Pining Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-21
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-11-03 05:54:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10961076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talinor/pseuds/Talinor
Summary: His heart skipped a beat at the sight of Keith- with tousled hair, a flushed face, and half-lidded eyes that were nearly black- grinning up at him. He looked at Lance like he was his favorite person in the entire known Universe. Realization hit his heart like a freight train at full speed at the sight.Oh.Play it cool, Lance.He told himself.You can do this.





	Loose Lips Tell Tales

**Author's Note:**

> "I really need to stop writing fics at midnight," i said  
> "I need to sleep," I said.  
> it's 3:30 am rn and here I am  
> whoops   
> i wanted to write keith gushing about lance and it turned into this   
> enjoy!

Keith was _exhausted._

His armor did little to protect him from the blaring heat that kept it's scrutinizing glare focused on him. None of the beetle-like, onyx-skinned aliens around him seemed to understand anything he said. They'd only stare at him for a moment, say something in their weird scuttling language, and continue on their way. He needed directions to someone who could fix Red, a port where he could try to find the others and come back for her, or even a place to get some _water._

Any option would work. He wasn't really picky at this point.

But no one around him understood. For the most part, they ignored him and anything he said. Which was, of course, annoying at first. He just wanted to get off this hive-like hell planet.

But then he found an advantage to being surrounded by people who couldn't understand anything he said. He could say whatever he _wanted_ right now and none of them would be the wiser.

Which was good, 'cause he had a lot to get off his chest. The kind of stuff he probably shouldn't say to complete strangers, but he was delirious enough to think of it as a good idea. 

Stuff he could (and probably would) never say to a certain sun-kissed Paladin who drove him up the wall sometimes and still somehow managed to make Keith like him. 'Like' as in 'more than a teammate.' 'Like' as in 'he was toeing a line he both did and didn't want to cross.' 'Like' as in 'he'd been trying to ignore it but it hasn't gone away yet; _why hasn't it gone away yet?'_

Feelings were weird. He needed to let someone know before he practically exploded from it all.

So when he found a nice little nook that looked like some kind of bar, he went for the closest empty rock-like stool and took his helmet on the bar. The 'bartender' looked at him with what he assumed was curiosity. That was all the permission he needed right now. 

He opened his mouth and completely abandoned any filter he had for anyone who could hear him. 

-

"Coming up on Rakka now," Lance said to the screen of Allura. The dusty gray planet's surface was quickly enveloping his view as Blue entered the atmosphere. It wasn't a pretty sight, but Keith and Red had to be somewhere down there. Had been for the past two days. "Do ya' think I should try the signal again?"

None of them had managed to get a signal through to Keith's comm yet. Something about the planet's metallic core blocking most signals that tried to get through. It had taken a pretty powerful signal to punch through that barrier to find Red in the first place. But maybe it could work better if the comm signal was local? It was worth a shot.

To him, at least.

"Test it out," Allura told him, her screen starting to fizzle with static. "But--w-wouldd-n't get--h-hopes u-u--" It finally fizzled out as Blue fully entered Rakka's atmosphere.

"Allura?" He tried. "Princess? You there?"

No answer.

He sighed. _"Great."_ He strummed his fingers nervously on Blue's console. Right now, her subtle hum was the only thing keeping him from feeling isolated. He hated feeling alone. It made him nervous.

For a moment, he wondered if that was how Keith felt right now.

Then he remembered Keith once stayed alone in a shack in the middle of nowhere, so probably not. This was probably his idea of heaven or something.

Well, Lance hated to interrupt that, but there was still a pretty sizable portion of the universe to save. So he switched his comm channel. The first couple filled his ears with buzzing static or weird grating sounds he could only guess was supposed to be music. Finally Keith's voice reached his ears.

_"-Hello?"_

He let out a sigh of relief. Keith... actually sounded pretty happy right now, which made something in his chest flutter. He opened his mouth to reply.

Then shut it as Keith laughed, paused like he was taking a drink and continued.

"Of _course_ I remembered him!" Keith stated it like it was a fact. "I didn't really pay a lot of attention to him back then, but he sat behind me in Physics. And _God,_ he had a _really_ cute laugh. Still does. Like frickin' sunshine and happiness was put into a person or something."

Lance froze.

"He's so sweet when he's not trying to pick a fight with me," Keith continued. "Goofs off with the others, gushes about his family back on Earth if you give him the chance, and remembers pretty much everything." Keith paused, before adding with a bit of bitterness. "Well, _almost_ everything."

Wait a minute.

"With how lighthearted he is, you probably wouldn't think he'd be that good in a fight," Keith continued after another drinking pause. The bitterness was quickly left behind. "But he's _good._ Like, first off, he's an _amazing_ shot. Nobody really points it out, but he is."

Lance felt his throat go dry and his face heat up a bit. Was Keith...

"But he's also great at coming up with plans." Keith, oblivious to Lance's disbelief, continued. "Like back on the Balmera, he held me back and came up with something to do while I was just gonna rush in and improvise." He sighed. "He's just the best. He has one of those rare smiles that seems to just... _understand_ you, ya know?"

Keith's location popped up on Blue's radar. He was close. Lance's heart crawled into his throat.

Keith sighed dejectedly. "Wish he'd point it at me more often," he said softly. His voice was starting to slur. "Or jus' see me as more than just a stupid _rival."_

It was hard to ignore the fact that Keith was talking about him. All of those compliments and gushing were about _him,_ of all people. _Keith_ was talking that way about him, of all people! A conflicting mix of emotions churned in his stomach like some twisted witch's brew bubbling in a cauldron in a fairytale.

Hope may or may not have been among them.

Blue touched down a few feet from Keith's location. He heard Keith's breath hitch. The far off sounds of a glass shattering and what he assumed was Keith rushing to get his helmet greeting him.

"I bet that's him!" Keith said with more excitement than Lance had ever heard in his voice. He could practically hear the grin on the Red Paladin's face. A small smile found its way to Lance's face as he heard traces of a Southern accent in Keith's voice. It was... kinda endearing, to be honest. "'S been nice talkin' to ya!"

Blue hunkered down to see Keith rush out of the building with a slight stumble. His face was shining with sweat, making parts of his hair wet and stick to the skin. The flush on his face was obviously not from the heat, as he stumbled his way towards Blue.

Lance stood up from his pilot's seat and headed over to the catwalk. Blue opened her maw for the two of them. Keith tripped, and Lance rushed to catch him. Keith, with his face pressed against the cool armor, looked up with dilated pupils and honest-to-God _giggled._

His heart skipped a beat at the sight of Keith- with tousled hair, a flushed face, and half-lidded eyes that were nearly black- grinning up at him. He looked at Lance like he was his favorite person in the entire known Universe. Realization hit his heart like a freight train at full speed at the sight.

Oh.

 _Play it cool, Lance._ He told himself. _You can do this._

"What's so funny?" He asked, readjusting his hold on Keith.

"We're _bonding,"_ he whispered like it was a special secret.

"...What?"

"You're cradlin' me in your arms," Keith said. "We're havin' a _bonding moment."_

Lance smiled down at him. "We sure are," He positioned them into an easier, more comfortable position to walk in. Keith's helmet was in the hand on Lance's opposite side, so it pressed against Lance's shoulder. Lance held onto that hand with one of his own and placed the other on Keith's opposite side. He started to walk into Blue, Keith shaky at his side. "Bet you're probably not gonna remember this one, though."

Keith pouted at the challenge. "Course I'll 'member this." He said, crossing his arms atop Lance's pilot chair once they got there. He rested his chin on it as Lance sat down. "Why wouldn't I?"

"You've been drinking," he said matter-of-factly. "Probably a lot." Blue shut her robotic maw. Her console flickered to life in front of him.

"So?" He said. "I was thirsty."

Lance couldn't help but snicker at that. "I bet you were." Blue flew up to the atmosphere quickly. Her thrumming purr held a hint of amusement.

"I jus' _said_ I was." Keith told him. "Why'd ya' repeat it?"

He kept himself from laughing. "No reason," he said. "Just 'cause."

The two were quiet for a few moments, watching the surface below them grow smaller and smaller as they happily left Rakka behind for the second to last time. They'd get Red soon, but first Keith needed some rest. Not to mention some actual food and drink.

Lance didn't like the silence. It gave him too much time to think, especially right now. Questions gnawed and ate at him, weighing down his mind with worry. Not even Blue's calming presence could pacify the chaotic feelings clawing at him. 

Finally he couldn't take it anymore. He had to fill the crushing silence.

"Keith," he said, keeping his eyes to the Castle just outside. "Did you..." He trailed off, looking up at Keith.

Only to meet the sight of a peacefully sleeping Keith leaning against his chair slightly. His cheek rested against his forearm. A few strands of hair had broken free from Keith's forehead and moved freely with every slight exhale. For a moment, Lance was captivated by the sight. It was rare to see the fellow Paladin so... relaxed. Without a frown or a single worry on his face.

Why rob him of that? They could talk later, when Keith's mind was clearer and Lance's feelings sorted out.

Blue sat down in her hangar, coming to a gentle stop. Keith didn't even stir. Lance smiled gently and stood up from his chair, heading to Keith's side. 

Brushing a bit of hair aside, Lance pressed a soft kiss to Keith's sweat-lined forehead. Unsurprisingly it tasted like salt. Keith made a slight noise and leaned towards him, a small smile on his face.

As he carefully gathered Keith's sleeping form in his arms so he wouldn't wake up, Lance had a thought.

He _really_ hoped Keith didn't forget all this.

**Author's Note:**

> comments are always appreciated!  
> my tumblr: squishy--squish (i take requests there)


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